Kingston’s mayor Delroy Williams said this year’s Christmas tree lighting will be like no other, as dancehall stars Ding Dong and 450 are among those slated for the annual event.
The event is scheduled for this Thursday at the St William Grant Park in downtown Kingston. Williams said the event is significant to him and noted that 450 and Ding Dong were both committed to performing “no matter their other engagements”.
“The first time we had the event on a TV broadcast was during [the pandemic] because we couldn’t host the live show, and at that time we were just aware of 450. He wasn’t the person he is today but we listened to his songs and decided to put him on. To see him blossom into such fine artiste, we feel good about it. It’s quite rewarding that as a municipality we saw this talent and we decided to give him the opportunity and he hasn’t stopped progressing since,” the mayor told THE STAR on Monday.
“Both 450 and Ding Dong said to us that whatever the date is, just give us and all other engagements will have to wait regardless of the funds. They had expressed a commitment of doing the show for us every year and to have an international artiste like Ding Dong making that offer is most pleasing,” he added.
The concert, which will be hosted by Miss Kitty, will include other acts such as the Jamaica Gospel Star winner Oral Lawson, Vanessa Bling, AJ Brown and Pablo YG.
Williams said the tree lighting ceremony is a main feature and people always look forward to it, especially residents from the communities in the municipality. Though the event does not allow for ‘direct’ vending, David Wright, the local economic development officer for the Christmas project, said vendors in and around the municipal area of downtown Kingston are positively impacted.
“There is definitely an uptake in the activities as well. [There are] the crowds that make up the preparation as well as hundreds of kids throughout the day, so the businesses surrounding the park benefits indirectly and the vendors are given much more latitude in the festive season as well. Also, once the tree is lit, the decoration stays up for the rest of the festive season for photos, so we do have that spillover of business in the area,” Wright told THE STAR.
As the ‘silly season’ quickly approaches and sections of the nation have been under severe lockdown from states of public emergency, Williams’ gave his one wish for the island.
“My deepest desire for Jamaica is that we continue to grow and build our economy strong, where we can create opportunities for our people and educate them,” Williams said.
The festivities at the Christmas tree lighting will kick-start with a children’s treat from midday to approximately 6 p.m. The official one-hour civic ceremony is scheduled to start at 7 p.m., and culminates with the tree lighting at 8 p.m. The live concert segment is slated for 8 p.m. to 11 p.m.
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